Good people with guns

I'm a gun owner. I was born in the 1940s and got my first .22-caliber when I was 12. It was not unusual for a bunch of us kids to ride through town carrying our rifles, headed toward the dump to shoot rats after school, greeting the town elders as we peddled our Schwinns up the hill to the dump.

That was a different time in a different world. A box of .22-caliber shells cost a quarter, and I tell you, we had fun back then.

Then I got drafted. What I did in the military isn't important but my training still is.

I'd like to remind Ms. Hendrickson that there are bad and evil people in the world, this nation of ours, our great state of Nevada and our town.

Let me name one: Jaime Albarran. Had I, or some people I know, been at the DC Travel center and seen Albarran exit the store after the shooting, he would have been held at gunpoint until a deputy arrived or just ended up a blood smear and a chalk mark on the pavement, had he pointed his weapon at me.

I want remind Ms. Hendrickson again that there are good people and bad people everywhere. If they take the guns away from people that follow the rules, what is to prevent the bad people from turning in their guns? Nothing. They are bad people and they will keep them and use them for their own evil criminal activity, which might touch you Ms. Hendrickson. It can happen, you never know.

Just so you know we live on two acres, fenced and we have a German shepherd. He does not live outside, but he has big ears and a loud voice and big teeth. But he's not trained to be an attack dog. He's just a watch dog, and besides the training he has, he only has to rely on his genetic imprinting and the need to protect mom and dad and the rest of the pack.

Let's have the good people have the guns and take them away from the bad people that need to spend time in jail.

GEORGE FEDELSKI

Criminals fear armed citizens

Ms. Hendrickson, I just read your letter in the Feb. 20 PVT about gun ownership and the right to carry. I feel you should recheck history both past and present concerning the Bill of Rights and police protection.

The Bill of Rights was not written in 1776 but in 1789, and became law in December 1791. The Bill of Rights was written to protect the citizen's rights from government infringement. The Second Amendment, for the right to keep and bear arms, was put into the Bill of Rights so that the people would be able to protect themselves from the government should it become oppressive, which is what the British did to the colonists with high taxes and finally with an attempt to control firearms.

You should also know that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the police are are only required to protect the public safety.

Private gun ownership is used to protect against crime several thousand times a year, most without firing a shot, and almost never reported in the news. Places that have less restrictive gun laws have lower crime rates than those that restrict guns. Criminals fear armed citizens more than the police.

As one who had 17 ancestors fight in the Revolutionary War, I plan to protect the rights they fought to give us all. Without the Second Amendment, the rest of the amendments could easily be taken away by government.

You also feel private gun owners are trained like the police and military. Most gun owners are responsible and practice regularly, and many are military veterans. From what I see from time to time on the news about police shootouts, some of the police do not shoot too accurately, either.

If there had been an armed citizen or two on the 9/11 airplanes, maybe the World Trade Center would still be there.

Lastly, I have a question, just what is a Saturday night special?

BRUCE KLINE

Loving Life

I just love this guy, President Obama. He is now going to give us a stimulus tax break.

In this tax break we will get approximately $13 a week more pay because there will be less taxes taken out of our checks. We in turn are to take this money and spend it.

With us spending this money it will stimulate the economy and help bring us out of this depression.

I am so happy with this, I think my wife and I will go down to the car dealership here in town and buy a new car with our newfound wealth.

Oh, you say that the Dodge dealer probably doesn't have any cars for $520 a month? No problem, I will just go to the Chevy dealer.

What, they haven't got any for that amount either? Oh, well, I won't be able to buy American but might be able to find a foreign make that I can afford.

Yes, I found it. I now will be the proud owner of a brand new car. I will drive this car all around town to show off that I can afford this item.

I can hear them yelling to me as I go by, "Hey, Dave, that's a nice looking Yugo."

DAVE BROTHERTON

Don't want them around me

In response to those who didn't like my letter about big dogs being more protection than guns, again I say -- ask any police officer, who will tell you that dogs will prevent most home invasions, burglaries, etc.

If the owner of a gun, dog or home with a pool is irresponsible and doesn't have training and behaves stupidly, then the gun, dog or pool can be dangerous or even fatal to children. The bottom line is the owner of the gun, dog or pool must be trained and take every precaution possible to prevent these dangers.

You can't take my dog from me during an attack and use it against me. My dogs are highly trained and very well behaved.

In answer to the idea of one person with a gun preventing a rioter from injuring them or stopping a riot, I would like to ask if Mr. Costanze was ever in a real riot. I was working in a drug store on the OSU campus during the student riots. The crowd broke in and began looting/destroying everything in sight.

The owner had a gun, got it and was going to use it. Instead of running away, the crowd swarmed the gun-carrying owner, beat him senseless and took the gun.

Fortunately, I had locked myself in the bathroom and was able to sneak out to get help for both of us once the crowd moved on.

Ask anyone who has actually faced a riot and they will tell you that, unless you have enough firepower to wipe out most of the crowd at once and the will to actually shoot another human, a single gun isn't going to do a darn thing for you in a riot and can actually make things worse.

The idea of one man with a gun standing up to a riot looks good on TV but doesn't work in real life.

As to the grocery store beating, let's check the probable scenario.

The customer is entering or leaving the grocery store, keys in one hand, bags of food in the other or pushing a cart. It's dark and he is distracted and hurrying. Suddenly, several men come up to you, push you to the ground, beat and rob you.

So in that split second, with hands full and mind elsewhere, Mr. Costanza believes a gun-carrying customer is going to be able to deter or prevent multiple attackers who might also be armed?

Well, folks, I guess Superman lives in Pahrump and we just discovered it, because obviously this customer has been trained to respond in a split-second against multiple attackers.

Oh, and even though our trained military shoots itself (friendly fire), this Superman is never going to make a mistake and shoot an innocent person.

Frankly, it doesn't matter to me where the guns were going to be banned. I don't believe that anyone needs to have a gun outside of police departments and the military.

I also know that this upsets all the gun toters out there. The bottom line is that very few gun owners have the training, knowledge, skills or abilities to correctly/safely/accurately use that gun.

Maybe because I am an educated person who tries to use logic rather than emotion, but I just don't get why men are so emotionally attached to their guns. I do know that I do not want any of these gun owners around me.

BELINDA HENDRICKSON

Finding out the requirements

Dear Nye County Democratic Party members,

Many of you may have heard or read about the recent conflicts among the local Democratic Party members.

During the last election cycle the Nye County Democratic Central Committee has been a source of great dissatisfaction and many grievances among local Democratic volunteers and activists. Repeated attempts to work within the structure of the central committee to resolve these problems have been met with hostility or ignored.

Therefore, a group of concerned local Democratic Party members have recently formed the Nye County Democratic Grassroots Committee.

Our goal is straightforward: to have a governing body of the Democratic Party in Nye County that is actively engaged with and responsive to the Democratic Party members that it represents.

In an attempt to keep all possibilities open, we are still trying to work within the central committee but also appealing to the Democratic State Central Committee to mediate and resolve these issues.

Additionally, we are also working independently to create a Democratic organization that is active and responsive in pursuing democratic goals and ideals in Nye County. In short, we are pursuing all available options and acting as inclusively as possible.

Of course, any attempt at political reform is bound to be loud, noisy and cause animosity on either side. This is new for all of us, and we're learning as we go. We've been working diligently and have already refined our methods.

Looking into state laws regarding county central committees, we've found that there are very specific requirements under state law for precinct meetings and electing voting representatives that the Central Committee has not followed.

But don't take our word for it -- we're not legal experts, just concerned citizens.

Ambitious readers can find the relevant legislation posted online at http://www.leg.state.nv.us/'NRS/NRS-293.htm (specifically NRS 293.133,143,157 and 160).

As the central committee elects new officers in April (amid much controversy), we urge the new officers to review this legislation, hold precinct elections during the next election cycle and create a Democratic body in Nye County that will be a positive example to the rest of the state.

We are proud to announce and endorse:

For the office of U.S. House of Representatives District 2

Paul Reeves.

For the office of state Assembly District 36

Robert Hanson.

The Grassroots Committee

Paul Reeves, Robert Hanson, Kelly Almond, Margery Kay Behrens

MARGERY KAY BEHRENS

Discovery of new chemical element

Lawrence Livermore Laboratories has discovered the heaviest element known to science.

The new element, governmentium (Gv), has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mas of 312.

These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons.

Since Gv has no electrons, it is inert, but it can be detected because it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact.

A tiny amount of governmentium can cause a reaction that would normally take less than a second to take from four days to four years to complete.

Governmentium has a normal half-life of two to six years, it does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places.

In fact, governmentium's mass will eventually increase over time, since each reorganization will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes.

This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a critical concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as critical morass.

When catalyzed with money, governmentium becomes administratium, an element that radiates just as much energy as governmentium since it has as many peons but twice as many morons.

I have presented the preceding for the elucidation and enlightenment to the public of the basic laboratory's breakthroughs and continued study of the physical scientific makeup of our Democratic government. Just recently witnessed at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory experimental unit they call "USA expanded."

It was not an unexpected result because of the length, time and depth of observation this experiment took, to develop its present critical mass morass.

It was the laboratory's observation that there may be another scientific breakthrough under development and the discovery of a new monolithic element they expectantly call "bankruptium totalis" in expectation of the total splitting, they predict, of governmentium into a much smaller administratium (Adm), or absence of, called anarchisium (Anr).

The experiments are continuing and we will be kept very aware of the beginning of its discovery through its encroachment and be able to more accurately predict its (Anr) arrival, results on Gv and Adm within the next decades expected predictable moron stimulus reorganization(s) and the critical mass morass of Gv morons and their unwanted isodope development(s).

JOHN ANDERSON

'Splain it again, Lucy

There was to be a signal at the intersection of Blagg and Highway 372. Why do I ask you, Lucy?

Because when Cottage Grove was in the planning stages, close to a million dollars had to be put into the equation first, in order to get the housing track up.

Well, as anyone can see, Cottage Grove has been built and is up, but Lucy, why is that expensive and necessary signal not up?

There have been several people who have lost their lives there, and we know a signal should have gone up there.

'Splain it to me, Lucy. Where did the money go? Why no signal, Lucy?

LYNDA CROSSLEY

Outdoor lighting rate increase

I can't believe that no one has said anything about the rate increase Valley Electric imposed on its customers that have outdoor lighting on their property.

Since 1993, the charge for our light was $8.80. But on my January bill it went up to $16.80.

And now we have our elected officials talking about charging everyone for trash pickup. I have paid for trash pickup since I moved here. That's not the point.

The point is, have they ever considered doing what towns all over the country do -- that is charging people who use the dump a small fee.

I go to the dump quite often and I would not mind the fee.

HERTHA RONICH

Senior Center thanks Albertson's

Albertson's grocery store has been very generous to the Pahrump Senior Center with its "Fresh Rescue Program."

As a senior I would like to thank them for the many food items we receive to help the members of the senior center.

We find much happiness in the gift of food items to help our budget.

JANIS RODRIGUEZ